Why am I doing this again?

I'm heading out in a few weeks to take a BCU Coach Level 1 class. I'm not sure why. I'm not really big into certification, at least not in my professional life, but I will admit I like the BCU system. I got into it (slowly, oh so slowly) a few years ago because I'm inherently lazy. After looking at the star awards I decided that following their progression would save me from having to think too much about what I would have to do to improve my skills. Just follow the BCU yellow brick road and, eventually, Oz. And more or less that's been true. I mean I still had/have to think a bit, but I got throguh the various control strokes, got my bracing and a roll that I'm sort-of-but-only-kinda confident in, and like that.

The coaching thing though is another story. The fact is the BCU is a pretty anemic organization here in the US and that makes it profoundly difficult to actually stick with the system unless you pretty much devote a lot of effort to traveling fairly large distances to work with other BCU coaches. See, essentially, the coaching scheme is a mentoring thing. For example as a level 1 coach (assuming I make it) I'm really supposed to be working under the direction of a higher level coach. Where I live there are basically no BCU coaches so, if I am to follow the progression strictly and work within the remits of my level, I would have to travel somewhere to find someone to work with. Not to say there aren't good instructors around here, just that the BCU scheme has it's own vernacular and ways of doing things. Working under a non-BCU person wouldn't help me terribly much. Sort of like learning Java (programming language) but then working with a C++ guy.

I did look at the ACA of course. There's a boat load of ACA folks around here. But I have to say I find the ACA system rather slap-dash. For example I was spelunking the net the other day and ran across a blog where a bunch of people got there ACA level 3 coastal instructor certs. On a lake. Not a Great lake. Just a small tiny lake. Ocean conditions were simulated by using the wakes from wave skis.

Now stop for a second and read that paragraph again.

No, you didn't. Read it again.

Right, so let's review:

• Level 3 COASTAL instructor certification. There are only 5 levels.
• On a lake. I've been on the ocean a few times. I've been on lakes lots of times. I have always (always) found them to be very different environments.
• 
  
  
  Using wave ski wakes to simulate ocean conditions. I've ridden over quite a few wakes, from all sorts of craft. I'm gonna have to go with really different than the ocean again.

I mean, really, what does that even mean, "coastal" if I can get certified as a mid-level coastal instructor on a lake with wakes? Speaking for myself I couldn't feel proud of that. Clearly this may be an certifier issue. You know one guy phoning it in or adhering to the letter of the cert but not the spirit. But, fuck me, really? A lake? Doesn't anyone in the ACA check up on this stuff? Apparently not. And if not, I have to ask, why not? Don't they care? Are they so ignorant of human nature that they're confident nobody will abuse the system and thus devalue it to the point of useless. Hell, worse than useless. Misleading? Misrepresenting? I dunno, but it feels bad man.

See, the real problem I'm having with this is that it puts the burden of valuing the cert on the consumer of the cert, be it student or co-instructor. Suppose I'm looking for an instructor. I have in front of me two level 3 ACA instructors to choose from. To make an informed choice as to who is more skillful or qualified or whatever I have to know a bunch of things. That there's a lot of wiggle room in that cert. Did you get yours on a lake or in the ocean? Even on the ocean, what kind of day was it? Flat calm can happen on the ocean too. And if I'm co-instructing with a level 3 person I'm in a worse position. I would essentially have to question someones skills but without the benefit of being a paying customer. Awkward no?

And, finally in this now rant, there's no way I want to be part of a system where, maybe, I work my ass off, with the best of intentions, adhering to the spirit of the curriculum and then get compared to some schmuck who found an easy certifier and kind of sucks. Or have to justify my creds because of someone like that.

Which leads me all the way back to why am I doing this BCU thing? Frankly I don't see a way forward in the system for me. Not easily anyway. But at least, if I do keep going, my creds are gonna mean something. Objectively mean something. Still, I'm stuck with a couple of entirely non-optimal choices and that sucks. I'll just have to see what happens I guess.